Budget Ministry of OCW for research and science

Investments

Data publication

In this data publication we show how the expenditure of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) on research and science has changed over the years. This concerns expenditure on Dutch Research Council (NWO), Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) (until 2011), Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Royal Library of the Netherlands (KB) and international institutions. Expenditures do not include those for research at higher education institutions.

In short

  • In 2025, growth flattens out due to a decrease in designated grants (mainly under the NWO Research and Science Fund) and the other category (mainly under the National Growth Fund).
  • From 2022 till 2024 expenditure within all items is increased.
  • In 2011, there was a break in the trend due to the transfer of expenditure from TNO to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Source: OCW (annual reports)
Notes: Note: The expenditures exclude research at higher education institutions and concern research and science in the broad sense of the word. The category 'other' consists of, among other things, contributions to other institutes and agencies such as DUO, assignments, national coordination, and framework arrangements for research and science. The designated subsidies consist of, among other things, the NWO Talent Programme (formerly Innovational Research Incentives Scheme), Large-scale infrastructure, the STW Technology Foundation, and the Dutch National Education Institute (Nationaal Kennisinstituut Onderwijs). The trend break between 2010 and 2011 is due to the transfer of the budget for TNO to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.  

Analysis
Over the period 2000 - 2010, the budget of the Ministry of OCW for research and science increases. The decrease in 2011 is - in addition to the transfer of the TNO budget - mainly due to a decrease of the designated subsidies (following the phasing out of the FES funds). After some fluctuations, there has been an increase in resources from 2014, with a strong increase, especially in 2018, due to intensifications in the designated resources and in the institutional budget of NWO. In 2019, there is growth in all other items, except for NWO. Since 2020, the funding of library institutions decreases, but from 2021 the funding depicts an increase. From 2022 till 2024 expenditure within all items is increased. In 2025, total expenditure remains roughly unchanged. Alongside a decrease in designated subsidies (mainly under the NWO Research and Science Fund) and the 'other category' (mainly under the National Growth Fund), we mainly see an increase under international institutions and NWO core funding.

For an explanation of the used definitions and acronyms we kindly refer to the web page Definitions for Science in Figures.

Footnotes

    Related publications

  • Government funding of R&D
  • Expenditure of universities in the Netherlands by type of expenditure
  • Budget Ministry of OCW for research and science
  • Income of universities in the Netherlands by source of funds
  • Income of universities, contract activities